National Republican., 1887-03-10
SORGHUM SUGAR INDUSTRY.
Producing Capacity OF This Country
and How It Can be Crippled,


the maple sugar industry; the latter Is an
independent but limited industry and fur
nisDes delicious confection; cane, beet,
and sorghum are the three sources from
which It is possible TO produce every pouad
OF sugar and,every gallon Of syrup required
for consumption In this country. Neither
Of these industries can be built up by dis
paragiDg the other.
While, II divided, these Industries may
be crippled in detail by tariff tlnkering and
Hawaiian treaty cussedness, united they
will quickly become invincible and pro-
greesiye; the beet sugar industry OF Cali
fornia has established the fact that 220
pounds OF. more. of hard. white refined
sugar can be produced per ton Of beets in
this country, but this article is intended to
briefly touch few facts about sorghum,
| which plant produces superior and abun-
| dant forage, grain, syrup, and sugar In a
| single CROP, when skilfully handled.
Shorn Of disputatioDs, the facts about
sorghum are clearly definite In favor of its
| production for the purposes named for
upwards of thirty years sorghum has been
| cultivated In the United States with in
l creasiug success, at first chiefly for forage
| and for syrup, latterly for sugar, syrup,
seed, and forage; there were produced In
1870, 16,O50,0s9 gallons syrup; In 1856 the
| production was about 35,000,000 gallons;
twenty-five years ago sugar was made from
sorghum cane In small quantities In Ohio
and other states, but Kansas has taken the
lead since 1889, and, according to the
| reports OF the statistical agent of that state,
| the production OF sugar was In 1888 100000
| pounds; 1884 about 6l5,000 pounds: 1885
about e90,0O0 pounds.
The production Of sorghum sugar In this
| country has not been confined to Kansas,
however; suffice to say here that 1t has been
| produced In quantities, and that under
| capable management the combined product
| Of forage, seed, syrup. and sugar from sorg-
hum returnsa profit far greater than can be
| obtained from any other agricultural crop
Is no longer aproblem, but an accomplished
fact, and when adequate capital, improved
machinery, and skill are employed In ex-
tracting and reducing the juice Of matured
| sorghum cane to sugar and syrup, that
| plant will become q leading source OF sugar
| production In the United States south Of
forty degrees, north latitude
| The statements that sorghum juice from
matured and stripped cane contains larger
percentage OF glucose and impurities than
| sugar. cane Juice, and that sorghum syrup
| will not crystalline readily, II at all, have
been abundantly disproved by practical re-
suits; when sorghum cane Is cut before ma.
turity, or when the stalk is not stripped be-
fore grinding, glucose and impurities con-
stituto so per cent. or more Of the solids In
the juice, and prevent the formation OF
crystals. The case is precisely the same
| with the juice Of sugar cane when that
plant is cut before being properly matured.
The committee Of the National Academy
of Sciences, in their report to Congress In
1889, say, as the result of inquiries estab.
lished by an amount OF investigation In the
laboratory, as we'll as Of practical expert
ence in the field and factory, which have
rarely been devoted to the solution Of any
industrial problem Up. 43), ''that the juice
extracted from stripped stalks contained
1918 per cent. Of crystallzable sugar, and
that 11.30 per cent. of the weight of such
l'juice may be obtained as sugar by the ordi-
nary process Of manufacture"
The report Of the committee also states
"tbat these sorghum plants at maturity,
aud when the seed Is ripe, contain maxi
mum OF cane sugar and minimum Of
glucose" Up. 27), and adds that ''no con-
clusion established by the work Of the de-
partment OF agriculture is Of greater i'm
portance than the positive ascertainment
OF that period when the juices Of the
sorghum contain the maximum Of cane
sugar" (P. 45).
Prof. n. w. Wiley's experiments have
virtually confirmed DR.. Peter Golfers as
to sucrose contents in sorghum, aud estab
In matured sorghum canes Prof. Wiley
produced at Ottawa ninety.ave pounds of
clarified sugar from each 1000 pounds Of
cane ''under very unfayorabe circum-
stances" With this established fact the
history Of the recent unsatisfactory chem.
icsl experiments with sorghum at Fort
Scott have nothing to do, except to point
department of agriculture to renewed ef-
forts and greater concert OF action between
It's chemists and sorghum producers.
Prof. w. G. Stubbs's analyses Of sorghum
at the Louisiana sugar experiment station
the past season, were successful and con.
clnsive in favor Of sorghum cane as sugar
producer; ninety.flve analyses Of sorghum
Juice, made by Prof. Stubbs, gave an aver.
age co-efilcient of purity exceeding 75 pei
cent; seventy-six lots Of juice contained
from above 10 to 16 per cent of sucrost
crystals, or an average above l3 per cent
proving that sorghum will be an Invaluable
adjunct to sugarcane by its earlier rlpeninl
and sugar making qualities.
sorghum Is hardy plant and can bi
grown in almost any soil; in latitudes nortt
Of 3S or 4C degrees 1t does not ripen wei
for producing sugar, but produces excel
lent syrup aud boundless forage; from th,
tropics to about 3S degrees north latitude 1
will attain perfection for sugar making
when suffered to mature its seed befort
cutting; as an agricultural production II
Kansas, and over wide range OF this coun
try, 1t is an absolutely sure and profitable
crop, yielding forage, ensilage, seed, syrup
and sugar as desired.
The seed which is ripe for harvest whel
the cane contains the maximum amount o
J sucrose or sugar crystals is easily harvested
the yield averages from % to bushel
per ton of cane; sorghum seed is salsble a
parity Of value with corn, being valuabl
as food for man or cattle and for planting
the seed will pay for cost of cultivating TIL,
cane, which can be delivered to the suga
mill by the producer, at the mere cost o
handling and carriage, for syrup and suga
making.
The leaves stripped from the stalk ar,
excellent fodder for cattle and for ensilage
OF the residual products from sorghum th,
bagasse is valuable for paper pulp, for fue
in making sugar, and as q fertilizer; thu
residuum, composed Of scum and feculents
will produce good vinegar, and is also
fertilizer; whatever Of value attaches I,
sugar cane attaches to matured sorghum
cane at every stage OF its production ant
manufacture.
From ten to twenty tons Of sorghum car
now be raised to the acre on good corl
lands, and seven to ten tons on poor lands
without manuring; when perfect seed Il
planted and the cane is properly cultivated
sorghum grown for sugar and syrup max
ing, matured before cutting and stripped o.
leaves before grinding, will yield its syruI
and sugar as literally as the cane of Louisi
ana, provided brains, capital, improved
machinery, with diffusion, are employed
skillfully In the manufacture. Without
those adjuncts neither cane, nor beets, no
sorghum will yield the maximum juices ant
sugar product, which all contain in asslml.
liant proportions.
With fourfold sources OF sugar produc
tion In this country-cane, beet, sorghum
and corn-and climate suited to each, 1t Il
nonsense to pretend that sugar.producins
should be left to tropical climes. Germany
France, Belgium, Holland, Austria ant
Russia are not tropical climes, yet thel
sugar product floods the markets and ruel
prices In London and New York. The
normal capacity OF the United States fo
,, producing eugar Is ADEQUATE TO supply hom,